Can you believe I'm turning 39 this week? Me either. In so many ways, I feel just the same as when I was 30, 25, 20. Not 15, my god. There are other ways that I feel so different, of course. It's true, I guess, that if you dedicate yourself to improvement, you improve. I'm so happy to be the person that I am, and I know I still have a lot of improvement ahead of me, and I'm so happy to be looking forward to that too.
The older I get, the more gratitude I have for youth—for myself as a young person and for the young people I know, who are brilliant and funny and sweet and wow, SO COOL. I love that they aren't afraid to boldly voice their opinions, and I love that their opinions are so right so much of the time.
Being the first downwardly-mobile generation is not so easy, and I think so many younger people have articulated, in ways that felt complicated for millennials, the basics of what's wrong, why it's wrong, and how it could be fixed. Our generational resentment and the unprecedented nature of what we faced kept us from saying, "This is not about us, it's about you."
And it's not just political and economics. They say direct action gets the goods, and in so many fights for social justices, young people are out in front, proud of their stances and showing up with dignity and clarity that is thrilling and effective.
I joined an onboarding workshop at our local mutual aid project here in Richmond, and it is being run by the coolest, queerest, youngest group of people. They have their shit together, and the project is on point. They feed hundreds of people every week, and they've been doing it for months, with no help from the government or corporate nonprofits.
I'm sure you already are, but don't forget: Listen to young people. Trust their instincts. Support their campaigns (with money and by showing up). Don't be a condescending jerk, even if you would do it differently. Try their way—they've shown us so many times, in so many ways, that they really know how to get the goods.
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 What's better than joining a few hundred friends for a march through town? I hurried up to Newark this week to celebrate the introduction of the New Jersey Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, got to hang out with actor Steve Way, met a whole bunch of badass organizers in person for the first time, and learned a few new chants in Spanish!
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As you read this: We're prepping a dumpling showdown and then psyched for what will likely be our last RVA yard beers before we head west for July!
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